Reality
by Serenia
Summary: Cho still mourns the death of Cedric, but when her younger cousin is an exchange student from Australia to Hogwarts, she begins to see Harry Potter in a newer light.
1. Default Chapter

First chapter of this story-a little Cho Chang thing with an OC character as her cousin. Set after Diggory dies. Also, I don't own Harry Potter. They all belong to J.K. Rowling. Amanda Kate, name of Cho's mother, her cousin, her aunt, and her cat Ami are all products of my imagination. Read on. ^^  
  
-Serenia   
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Reality  
  
" Will you go to the ball with me?" Cho Chang twisted in bed, cold beads of sweat rolling down her face. The simple phrase that Cedric had asked her that night, merely a few months before, ringing in her mind. Cedric Diggory. Loved son, student, and friend. A tear rolled down her cheek to mix with the sweat. She stifled a sob, and reached for her alarm clock. 4:30. Sighing, she crawled out of bed.   
  
Cho laid back on the couch, staring off into the distance, her robe clinging to her body. She was surprised when her cat, Ami, jumped onto her lap. " You're awake early," she said softly, stroking her smooth fur. Ami purred in response, and snuggled closer. Her eyes misted over, and she closed them. Cedric Diggory, dead. Dead. Dead. Cho hugged herself. He was gone. No more laughter or conversation, no more discussions, no more Quidditch with him. Death is strange, she mused, it takes away so much-all wrapped up into that one word. Closing her eyes, she thought, I need a vacation. And a chiropractor.  
  
" Cho?" The girl slowly opened her eyes, and locked eye contact with her mother. " Cho..." she reprimanded. " Sorry, Mum. I just couldn't sleep. Really." She felt the pressure on the cushions, and she realized her mother had sat down next to her. Cho continued to stroke Ami as she laid her dark head on her mother's shoulder. Cedric had always comforted her when she was sad... Before she knew it, a flash of the above-mentioned boy's face had raced through her mind, and the tears started to tumble down her fair face, until they were turned into hopeless sobs. " Shhh...it's all right Cho...he's in a better place..." her mother said softly. The tears subsided a minute after, and Cho laid exhausted on the couch. She glanced at the blurry clock image. 5:30. A hour had passed.   
  
" Cho! Incoming!" The slight girl slipped out of her daydream and caught the ball in record time. She rested quietly on her broom, grinning. " Bonzer, mate!" Her cousin, who was a year younger than she was, called. He was visiting from Australia [1], and they were currently playing a game of catch-on broomsticks. After, they both slid off to land on the soft grassy ground, and her cousin sighed wistfully. " In Oz, we play boomerang on broomsticks. It's like-what do them Muggles call it? Ultimate...frisswree." Cho smiled at her male cousin, her favorite of all her relatives. He glanced toward Cho. " Didn't you say that THE Harry Potter got a Firebolt?" Cho nodded. The other whistled. " That's big bickies, wonder how they afforded it. Ah well, if you got a good broom it doesn't mean you've got skill!" he pronounced cheerfully. They were interrupted when Cho's mother called, " LUNCH!" " Let's go tucker in then." They both headed for the house.  
  
" Loren, is she still...?" The lady cut off. Cho's mother nodded. " It's been a blow for her. Cedric was...well, may Merlin help him." The other lady sighed, for she was Cho's aunt. " The poor thing...and of all the people that could win her heart, it was that unfortunate Diggory boy." Mrs. Chang flicked her wand toward a pot, and it immediately started boiling. " I'm starting to worry about her. It's been a couple of months already and she still wakes up much too early. If she does this at Hogwarts..." Cho's aunt interrupted. " Don't worry. You know Derek's school, in Brisbane? Well, he was picked as a transfer student to Hogwarts, so he'll take care of the dear." Cho's mother turned, surprised, " Really?" " Yes. He'll be there for the year." She smiled.   
  
" Bye, Dad." Cho gave a loving embrace to her father. " Bye, Mum." Her mother smiled. " Now, make sure your cousin is all right there. We'll see you next summer, dear." With Derek at her heels, they both boarded the train and shuffled into a compartment. Cho approached the window seat and waved to her parents, a smile pasted on her face until they were out of sight. She lay back in her seat, until Derek interrupted. " Your cobber's here to see you," he whispered, as he rose off the seat and moved across the aisle. Cho turned as one of he friends, Amanda Kate, plopped down on the seat next to her.   
  
" Cho!" The addressed smiled warmly, as Amanda Kate chattered on. " Who's the boy? He's got an awfully cute accent, you know," she giggled. " My cousin. He's from Australia, actually," she answered wirily. The other smiled. " Then I know why he's so handsome-he's got your genes." Cho slapped her playfully. A.K. laughed. " Really, Cho, the boys are all QUEUEING up to be your boyfriend. Somebody even said that the Boy Who Lived asked you to the Yule Ball last year!" Cho's face fell and her heart twisted at the mention of the Yule Ball...one of the best moments she had with Cedric...gliding on the polished floor... She blinked back tears.   
  
" Cho...is that Harry Potter? The one with the bluey offsider (Australian Lingo: Redhead Sidekick)?" Cho nodded, a bit annoyed with everyone talking about Harry Potter. She could remember the day he had asked her to the ball, and she was still a bit embarrassed from refusing him. " Miss. Chang?" A clear voice interrupted them both. Cho looked up into the Deputy Head Mistress' face, Professor McGonagall. " Yes Professor?" We need your cousin for the Sorting Hat...he'll be back shortly." Cho nodded in thanks, and went to sit next to her crowd of friends. " Cho?" The slim girl looked up from her plate, and saw Derek. She smiled, then asked, " So, what house were you sorted into?" His expression was glum. " Gryffindor." Her mood fell, but she faked a smile as she desperately searched for pros. " That's Harry Potter's house. You'll be in his age group, and I'm sure he'll be helpful." She droned on, because she knew that Derek was much in awe of the boy. A faint grin lit up his face, and she pushed him towards the Gryffindor table, calling to him that she'd meet him the next morning.   
  
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Ok, that's it for the first part...bit lousy, I know. :P Anyway, that was Cho...next chapter should have Harry Potter, one of his friends, or Derek. I don't know which yet. 


	2. Transfer Students

Sorry for the lame Australian language...hee hee...I was checking a few books, and I decided it would be fun to include it even if it's not accurate (Me, I'm your Chinese kid).   
  
Oops...  
  
[Runs away while the Aussies on the site bombard her with pitchforks and torches]  
  
Well, *pant*, hope you enjoy-AHHH!-this!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter  
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CHAPTER TWO  
  
Harry Potter got a queasy feeling seeing Cho Chang's face after she turned around. It was a feeling mixed with guilt and an awkward happiness from seeing her face. She was a really pretty Ravenclaw, but the older girl reminded him of Cedric and the events last year... His thoughts were interrupted by Ron, who said, " Did you see the new transfer students? Where do you think they'll kip? In a separate room?" Hermione spoke up. " I suppose they'll be sorted, even if only for this year. Wonder if anyone new is coming into our house...did you know that there're only nine of them? One from Australia, one from Germany, one from China..." she went on. Harry turned. " Do they all speak English?" he asked Ron. The redhead shrugged. " I dunno. S'pose so, because how are they going to talk to anyone else?" Hermione nudged him. " What was that for?" " Look," she hissed, " One of them's coming out!"   
Harry saw the boy...who, he noted, bore a weird resemblance toward Cho, walk toward the Ravenclaw table. Surprisingly, he seemed to know Cho, and Harry saw the slight girl get up and ask him something with a bright smile on her delicate face. They continued to talk, ending with Cho pushing him off somewhere. The boy walked away, a small grin on his face. Harry's heart raced. His crush over Cho overrode his pity for Cedric Diggory. She already had a boyfriend? He was interrupted yet again when Ron informed, " He's coming over here!"  
The Asian fifteen-year old walked over, and plopped down in a seat across from Harry and Hermione, and to his right was Seamus Finnigan. Hermione immediately started to interrogate him, asking enthusiastically, " So, where you from? Australia? Which school?" The Australian looked slightly surprised, but answered, " Australia Preparatory School of Sorcery. It's all the way in never never, where the Muggles can't find it." He jabbed a fork into a piece of mutton. " Never never?" inquired Ron. " As you Brits call it...Desert outback land," he answered. " Did you have to go through tests to be selected?" asked Hermione eagerly. The boy looked thoughtful. " The selecting took a bit...had to go through a few screenings. Nothing much though, there's not many in our school." " How'd you come here?" asked Harry curiously, thinking about how last year the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students had arrived. " I lobbed in with my cousin," he glanced up, and his eyes sparkled as it flicked up his forehead. " I'll be! It's Harry Potter!" he exclaimed. Harry nodded uneasily, but asked, " Who's your cousin?" The boy jerked his head toward the Ravenclaw tables. " Cho Chang."   
" Do all the people that were transferred know how to speak English?" asked Hermione, tagging along as they clambered toward the Common Room. " Me and the Yank that are here know pretty much how to speak English, but the rest that aren't that fluent have a language spell put over them." " Huh?" asked Ron quizzically. " A language spell is a complicated charm that allows the person who gets it to speak the language they know best, but it comes out in the language the other knows, and they understand the language too when they hear it. It's quite complex," answered Hermione. " It SOUNDS complex," muttered Ron. " What's the password?" whispered Harry, once they reached the Portrait of the Fat Lady. " Nick told me...Sugar quill." The portrait swung open.   
" Trevor! Trevor!" Neville called hopelessly. " Eh?" Derek quirked an eyebrow at the round-faced boy. " My toad," he explained shortly, " He's gone missing. Have you seen him?" he added. Derek shook his head, slightly bewildered. " Don't worry about him, his toad goes missing at least once every term," whispered Ron into Derek's ear, as they paraded up to their dormitory. " You're Cho Chang's cousin?" asked Harry casually, but turning away so they couldn't see him redden. " Yeah," answered Derek closing the curtains to his four-poster. " I was with her this summer. Quite a good Quidditch player, she is. I hear she plays Seeker on Ravenclaw...and of course, she told me you played Seeker too..." He added, stating the first part proudly. Harry nodded, as he flushed a deeper crimson. " Go to sleep, the lot of you," yawned Ron. " We start classes tomorrow. And I don't fancy being late the first day to Snape's class."   
  
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Short, I know. Sorry. Next chappie should be out soon. More Cho. 


End file.
